Love does not condemn

Thanks for being so open. I believe we need to do all that we can to try and reach people everywhere where ever they are. That is not a redundant statement. I specifically mean everywhere in the world where ever they are spiritually.

I think Christians really freak about certain sins as if they are more dirty than other sins and then they see the wrong thing as “sinful.”

As a gay man I’m sure you can say that who you are attracted to is not a choice any more than who I am attracted to is a choice. We are who we are.

I do believe that being gay is not a sin any more than being straight is a sin. It is what we do with who we are that is sinful and so separates us from God.

Since we have all sinned in who we are then we are all living with a death sentence. Jesus came to restore us to God. He did an awesome job of it. I think the woman that was dragged before him as an adulteress is the best example. He sat there and drew in the sand while they were going on and on about how evil her sin was. Then they sat and watched while he continued to draw before he finally answered them.

“Let the one among you that is without sin cast the first stone.”

BAM! He totally said that out loud. I know there are many times I’ve thought stuff like that and later when I tell the story I’ll say, “and I was all like …” then they’ll say, “wow you said that?” So I have to respond, “No, but I thought it real loud.”

Jesus actually said it though. Those guys started leaving. He completely diffused the situation and literally saved this woman’s life right then and there. They wanted to throw rocks at her till she was dead and he stopped them. That is amazing, but it gets better.

After the last of them realized they couldn’t go pick up a rock and chunk it at the lady Jesus turns to her and say, “where are your accusers?”

She replies, “they are gone.”

“Neither do I condemn you,” he says. He doesn’t condemn her even though he is without sin. By his own statement he could have tossed the stone but he chooses not to. He chooses grace. That is powerful. It is the second most powerful thing he says in this encounter.

He finishes with the command “go and leave your life of sin.” That is powerful. He doesn’t condemn her but he doesn’t want her to condemn herself with her continuing actions. He makes it clear here that she is in sin but he is letting her go. He also makes it clear that she needs to get out of it.

This is why Jesus changed lives around him. He loved people and so didn’t condemn them. He loved people and so didn’t leave them in their death and sin.

I really wish the church would get it. I wish Christians would stop making things either legalistic or sloppy agape. It isn’t a question slapping all these rules on people and condemning them, but it isn’t about saying grace covers it all so live life for today for tomorrow may never come.

We have to love people enough that we refuse to condemn them, but we also have to love people enough that we help them get up out of their sin.